Release Date: May 4, 2012
The story: Loki comes to Earth, intent on using the power he’s been given by a mysterious being named Thanos to conquer humanity. Nick Fury pulls together Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, and Captain America in order to fight the Asgardian. Loki uses the power of his scepter to control Erik Selvig and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, using his capture as a Trojan horse to splinter the Avengers and steal the Tesseract, opening a portal above New York City for an invading alien army. The Avengers beat back the Chitauri hordes, close the portal, and capture Loki, returning him and the Tesseract to Asgard.
Who appears:
Iron Man/Tony Stark
Captain America/Steve Rogers
Thor
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
The Hulk
Hawkeye/Clint Barton
Loki
Nick Fury
Phil Coulson
Maria Hill
Erik Selvig
Jasper Sitwell
Thanos
Pepper Potts
J.A.R.V.I.S.
The World Security Council
Noteworthy events: Phil Coulson is killed by Loki during his escape from the Helicarrier, a massive S.H.I.E.L.D. airship. The film ends with the Avengers scattering to different locations—or in the case of Thor, off-world.